Drug Spider, He Must Be Asleep, Wild Savages

Madison instrumental-rock band Drug Spider emerged this past summer and have been playing often enough that they already feel like something of a fixture in the local music community, and a welcome one at that. Drug Spider share in some of post-rock's moody atmospheres, soaring melodies, and ponderous song titles, but the music on the recent six-song demo Fear Of Quiet Places also has a stark, unpretentious feel. These songs keep the billowy delay in check and emphasize consistent melodic through-lines, whether it's the chunky riffs that pin together "Dying Of Hunger, Never Of Thirst" or the mournful spaghetti-Western figure that bookends "Dreams That Weigh You, Release You." The band (whose members have played in other local projects including Heavy Looks, Red Rose, and TL;DR) plans to do some more recording this winter and release a proper EP in the spring. —Scott Gordon